(Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)
(First Peak- Hall Of The Founder)
Closed door training.
That was the excuse why the hall was closed.
But it was nothing more than a lie to give the Sect Leader some space to think without any interruptions by other members of the sect.
An elderly man walked slowly through the hall and carefully observed the scenery around him.
He had seen everything inside many times before but still took a moment to look at the splendor and opulence.
Floors made of pure green jade, golden pillars which rose up from the ground and statues of dragons with their mouths wide open.
And the object that would attract anyone's attention.
An enormous white throne where a midnight black sword had been violently driven into the side of the chair.
Shi Jian continued to walk with slow purposeless steps as he approached the white throne and kneeled down.
There was complete silence in the hall.
The Sect Leader continued to kneel with his eyes tightly closed. Many thoughts were running through his mind.
He had been alive for hundreds of thousands of years and yet for the first time in centuries he found himself lost and with no answers.
Was his decision correct?
Would it really be better for the sect if he sacrificed Xu Lu in order to protect his junior sister? Were his personal feelings playing a role in his decision?
There were two main emotions flooding his thoughts…
Doubt and regret.
Shi Jian did not have the answers.
Logically he should not be this conflicted since Lei Ying was a void stage cultivator and a powerhouse of the Holy Sword Sect.
Xu Lu on the other hand was just an individual with potential. He had seen many geniuses with far greater talents than hers fail to live up to expectations.
Cultivation at the higher levels required a shift in mentality to strive for inner peace.
Shi Jian did not believe that Xu Lu could achieve that kind of mental state with the amount of trauma that she had suffered.
So logically he made the right choice.
But then why did he feel this way?
Shi Jian kept replaying the scene over and over again in his mind. The memory when he had removed the mask covering the young saintess' face.
Horrific scars criss-crossed the entire surface area of her face in random paths. At the edges of the scars were nasty looking burn marks that had not properly healed.
She looked… awful.
The Sect Leader opened his eyes and walked up to the throne. He sat down on the hard marble and leaned back against the throne.
The quiet stillness inside the hall was deafening.
There was nothing to distract Shi Jian from the voices of regret running through his mind.
He let out a heavy sigh and then reached into his storage bag. He pulled out a small bead-shaped pendant that glowed with an eerie light.
Shi Jian dug his fingernails into the underside of his palm and dripped a few droplets of blood onto the pendant.
The blood droplets were quickly absorbed and soon the pendant began to glow. Shi Jian raised up the pendant to his lips and calmly spoke into the necklace.
"Junior sister… can you come to the first peak immediately? There is an urgent matter that we need to discuss," the Sect Leader quietly spoke.
He waited for a few moments and then received a reply as his pendant vibrated before a cool and melodic voice came from the other side.
"Sure… I'm just looking around for my dear apprentice… have you seen her? That silly girl always gets into trouble," Lei Ying laughed lightly, and one could hear clear affection in her voice.
"I'll be there soon."
The Sect Leader placed the device back into his storage bag and his fingers trembled ever so slightly.
There were always heavy wrinkles on his face and arms since he did not bother to pretend that he was still youthful but now…
Shi Jian appeared not just old but frail as well.
If what Xu Lu had said was true, then did he really know his junior sister? Was she really capable of lying so easily this entire time?
No… what if the saintess was the one who was lying?
Like a drowning man grasping on to a lifesaving float, hope blossomed in the Sect Leader's heart for the first time.
Wait… what if Xu Lu was the liar? Or what if she was mistaken somehow and had blamed the wrong person?
Shi Jian lost himself in his delusions until a single unwelcome thought entered his mind and poured cold water all over his newfound happiness.
No… but that still doesn't explain why Lei Ying kept the matter a secret…
The Sect Leader placed his face in his hands and gently rubbed his temples. He hoped… no he prayed that Lei Ying would have a good explanation for her actions.
Please… please… let there were a reasonable explanation for why she kept the matter of her apprentice's disfigurement a secret.
There was a soft knocking noise on the other side of the door leading to the hall. Shi Jian took his face out of his hands and straightened out his back.
"Enter," he spoke firmly with no trace of the hesitation and doubt that was currently plaguing his mind.
The doors swung open to reveal a beautiful female cultivator wearing fiery red robes and a golden band around her ankles.
She possessed an ethereal beauty.
Gentle eyes, a heart-shaped face, soft eyebrows, and delicate feminine features that would capture the attention of both men and women.
"Senior brother," Lei Ying calmly spoke as she walked up to the white throne with confident steps.
"What is the urgent matter? I thought that you were going to do some closed-door training for the next few months."
"Junior sister… no… Lei Ying… do you remember the day we first met?" Shi Jian relaxed in his seat and spoke in a kind nostalgic tone.
"I was the saint of the Holy Sword Sect and the only apprentice of my master so when he came back from a long journey with a little girl… I was shocked."
"I could not understand why he needed to find another person to train. Wasn't I good enough? I felt a bit jealous of you… as bad as that sounds."
"Really? I never got that impression," Lei Ying tilted her head in confusion as she listened to her senior brother's confession.
The Sect Leader smiled warmly but there was a tinge of bitterness in his gaze as he looked at the women who he had always considered as a close sister.
Now… she just looked like a stranger.
"That is because it only took a few months to see you for what I thought you were… an innocent girl who was pure of heart and very kind," Shi Jian explained gently.
He got up from the throne and slowly approached the beautiful female cultivator. His eyes never left her face as if searching for something.
When he was only two metres away, Shi Jian stopped in his tracks. He opened his mouth to speak but the words did not come out.
He felt afraid.
He did not want to hear the answer.
"Lei Ying… I love you because you are my family, the last living trace of my master who has long ascended to the upper realm," Shi Jian slowly spoke.
"So please answer me honestly…"
"How did your apprentice's face get destroyed?"
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m